Faux
by reluctantreader
Summary: What would you become to get everything you ever wanted? AH/Highschool fic
1. Chapter 1

Brown has quickly become my new favorite color. Any variation of that seemingly simple shade has been consuming my every thought for months. The clear espresso of her eyes, the deep mahogany of her hair; beautifully understated hues that go unnoticed by everyone, but me. I guess the real statement should be that Isabella Swan is completely commandeering my mind.

_She's completely commandeered other parts as well_, I think to myself, smiling and wishing that it were physically true.

I stare up at my ceiling and all I can see are those hypnotizing pools of brown. Her eyes are framed by long, delicate lashes. She rarely wears make-up. Why wear something supposed to create beauty when you are already a goddess?

_I'm so fucking whipped and she's not even my girl._

I shift against the pillows of my bed and sigh. Glancing at my alarm clock on the night stand, I realize I've been lying awake – daydreaming of Isabella – for nearly thirty minutes. There's still twenty minutes before I have to get ready to enter Hell.

Of course, Hell to me is known to everyone else as Forks High School. Today I'm officially a senior. Sadly, that means I have only nine short months to let Isabella know that I love her. Not only that, but I have to prove to her that I am no longer the clumsy geek that she – and every other teenager in this town – has come to know me as. I want her to know that I am a man that deserves her. And when she sees me stroll into school, I want her to realize that I'm not the same boy she saw at the end of the previous year.

It's not like I have _too_ much to prove. She's only seen my fall flat on my face like, _maybe_ three times. I haven't been that weird around her. I mean, sure, she's caught me staring a few times, but the times she's caught me she just thought there was food on her face.

_Oh! And she totally signed my cast that time I broke my wrist after staring at her for too long in the parking lot and crushing my hand in my car door. I can totally do this!_

I groan at my pathetic attempt at a pep talk and roll out of bed. There's no point in even attempting to get back to sleep. I might as well jump into the shower before my sister Alice wakes up and uses all of the hot water. My bedroom door creaks slightly as I ease it open to listen down the hall. I position half of my body out of the room – my weight on the ball of my foot – as I strain my ears. I don't hear any commotion throughout the house and I give myself a mental fist-pump for outwitting my freakishly hyperactive twin.

But since I am a complete and total spaz, the heel of my right foot hits the doorframe upon reentering and I fall backward. As if I'm not retarded enough, I try using the door as leverage to catch myself, only to slam it into the side of my face before crashing into the floor. I manage to keep my frustrated "Fuck!" to a low moan of pain, but of course I end up smacking my fist into the door while reaching for my injured foot causing it to smack shut with a sharp banging sound.

I hold my breath – and my foot – praying to any listening gods that my morning clusterfuckery has gone unheard. As soon as I huff out the air and smile like an idiot in self-satisfaction I hear Alice's radio click on. I try to hoist myself from the ground to scramble to the bathroom before she's fully awake only to feel a sharp pain in my hand as well as my foot. After inspecting the damage, I can see the middle knuckle of my hand is already swollen and most likely broken. The pain in my heel is already fading, but I hiss as I try to apply more pressure.

I reopen my bedroom door – keeping my face a safe distance away – and half skip, half jog to make it into the only bathroom upstairs. It definitely fucking sucks to share a bathroom with your sister, but at least I never have to worry about it getting too disgusting. I've been to summer camp before; I've seen what happens when a bunch of guys share a bathroom.

A shutter overtakes me from this summer's memories of Camp Night Willow as I finally enter the bathroom. I shut the door behind me and immediately check my now throbbing face in the mirror. My cheek has a small red mark, but everything else seems to be normal; normal for me, at least. I still have the light lavender bags under my eyes from lack of sleep. My eyebrows have finally grown back in after a night of tequila, tweezers, and Alice. And, of course, the ridiculously unruly mop of brown and bronze that I call hair is in its usual state of rebellion. I run my hands through it a few times to try to tame it, but quickly remember I'm going to wash it in a few minutes anyway.

_When did I become so vein?_

I blame Alice. Whatever, at least my acne's gone and I have a good looking physique.

_Speaking of good looking…_

It isn't long before my thoughts return to Isabella. I absently turn on the water to the shower as I fantasize about the upcoming day.

_Will she remember me? Will she be in any of my classes? I wonder where she'll sit at lunch. Did she make any friends this summer while I was away? I hope she did. She needs friends. I could have been her friend. I wish Carlisle and Esme hadn't had sent me to that shithole of a camp!_

I try not to be pissed off when I think of my parents sending me to that stupid camp. Summer camps were for churches and children, not seventeen year olds that have every intention of tossing their virginity as soon as they see a hole. I guess I really don't fit into that category either, considering I have my sights set on multiple orifices on the same body. Plus, Camp Night Willow was a weird all boys camp. Carlisle said I would "benefit from an environment of male camaraderie." If he saw some of the sick shit that went down in that place, I'm sure he'd think again.

Granted, that was the first time I had been to the older side of the camp. I hadn't even set foot on the lands since I was in the Pee-Wee group. Carlisle had lured me to go with promises that being around other guys would help me come out of my shell and "find balance." I knew he meant inner balance and peace, blah blah blah, but I had scoffed at that one. Either way, I went to the stupid camp just so I could have something to do all summer instead of sit on my ass and pine over Isabella. My hyperactive pixie of a sister, Alice, actually helped me decide.

"_Do you really think Bella wants some pasty, un-chiseled klutz to brood after her all season? No! Of course, not!" Alice practically shouted, not even giving me time to answer her. She talked too fast most of the time; it was hard to even understand what she was bitching about._

_School had just ended a week prior and I was sitting at the computer in the living room, minding my own business, when she snuck up behind me and starting ranting._

_Okay, that's not entirely true. I was actually googling Isabella's name to find any information I could about her. She had just moved to Forks from Phoenix, Arizona about a month before. _

_My parents had planned for us to visit family in Alaska for the summer, but I vehemently declined. Only Alice knew the real reason I chose to stay behind and apparently now she was calling me out on it._

"_I'm not brooding," was my ingenious reply. Then I started to process the rest of her statement and my anger flared. "Wait a fucking minute, Alice! Pasty? I'm not fucking pasty!" I countered._

_She cocked one of her legs to the side and put her hands on her hips. Her left eyebrow shot up and her lips pressed into a tight line. This was a stance I knew very well. This was the Bitch-brow. It was a physical representation of the phrase "Are you fucking kidding me?"_

"_Okay, so maybe I'm a little pale," I quickly backtracked. "And un-chiseled isn't even a word," I mumbled under my breath, because I knew better than to say it loud enough for her to hear or she'd smack the shit out of me. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a fucking pussy, but no one pisses off Alice and gets by easily. _

_I continued on when I realized I hadn't been as quiet as I thought. "How am I supposed to fix those things in Alaska? You can't tan while wearing four pairs of pants and a two-ton coat," I reasoned._

"_Well, if you really want to impress her, you need to stand out. You have to stop cowering behind your books and walking along the walls. Get out there and own your stuff! Get some frickin' swagger!"_

_I almost chuckled at my sister's inability to curse, but now wasn't the time. I hated to admit she was right. We had been living in Forks for almost four years and I had become the village idiot. It wasn't my fault that my growth spurt started to randomly elongate my limbs. It was hard to look cool when I was constantly tripping over my own feet or hurting my gangly limbs. My cracking voice and ridiculous acne didn't help the situation either._

_My shoulders slumped and I sighed, utterly defeated. "How, Alice?" I was surprised how hard it was to speak. I cleared my throat and tried again. "School's already out. There isn't anything I can do about it now."_

_Alice seemed to take pity on me and lost the attitude. She released her hips and put a hand on my shoulder. I languidly shook it off while focusing on my lap. She let out a short huff before spinning the computer chair around so I faced her._

"_You can start by working out. You won't have to do much, just tone up a bit. As my twin, you share my genetic make-up. That means that since I have a hot bod, you have a hot bod too. I haven't been scoping you out or anything, because that would be gross, but I know you're not all flab under there. Wear tighter clothes at least because _this_ is not flattering." She pinched the baggy fabric of my faded black shirt before releasing it and rubbing her hands against her jeans. As if 'lack of fashion sense' was contagious._

"_I still don't feel as if going all the way to Alaska is going to help out." I pouted a little. Like I said before, I'm not a pussy. But I know how to work Alice, and there was no way in hell I was going to be that far from Isabella for that long._

_Alice narrowed her eyes at me. Shit! I must have laid it on too thick. I quickly righted my lips and tried sighing wearily. _

_She wasn't buying it. "Look here, Edward, I'm only going to say this once," the Bitch-brow was back. "Get your sorry behind into gear! All this stuff," she gestured wildly at the computer screen, "isn't going to make Bella like you. Heck, it won't even get her to notice you! You need 'face time', dear brother. That is the only way it's going to work."_

_I didn't really understand her last statement, but I shrugged it off. Sometimes Alice was weird as shit and there was no way around it. She often seemed to zone out in her own little daydreams. I studied her face. Yep, Alice had officially left the building. I really didn't understand why she was the popular one. I took that back; Alice deserved people to love her and want to be her friend; I would never wish her like me. But I just wished she didn't get _all_ of the charisma. _

_I knew what had to happen next. I was going to have to do what no man ever wanted to; I was going to have to ask my little sister for help. I sucked in a deep breath before letting it out. "Alright Alice, tell me what I have to do."_

_Her smile could have lit up Times Square on New Year's Eve. I couldn't help the shimmer of hope that warmed my insides._

The same feeling of hope swelled within me as I recollected that day. Alice had told me to go back to the boy's camp. She suggested that I should sign-up for as many outdoor activities as possible. Of course, at the time, I thought she was a fucking loon considering my general gangly-ness and tendency to trip on air. But yet again, Alice proved to have all the answers. It was because of her confidence in me that I look the way I do today.

I lather up my hands and start to wash my hair while thinking of all the kayaking, rock climbing, and archery I did at Camp Night Willow. It had all been so physically exhausting at first, but three months of chopping wood for bonfires and learning to salvage a capsized boat had made me hard where I was once soft. I don't think I could ever repay Alice for being the genius that she was. Now I'm toned up and I've found that I'm not nearly as awkward as I was before leaving.

The boys of the camp had also taught me a few tricks to try in the bedroom when I finally won Isabella over. Only a few of them ragged on me for being so completely obsessed with the girl – I had printed off a picture of her from her previous school's year book which I taped to the wall by my bunk.

_Thank fuck for internet. _

I smile as I rinse my hair out and start to soap my body. Some of the other guys were really fucking gross. They would talk about their many sexual conquests and all the disgusting ways they had defiled the many sluts that attended their schools. I got the ribbing of a lifetime when my bunk mates found out that I was still a virgin.

_As if they couldn't tell_, I thought bitterly to myself.

No, I wouldn't let my train of thought go that route right now. I would only allow myself to have pleasant thoughts for the upcoming day. I just have to stay positive and the gods of luck and good fortune will smile upon me.

_Yeah, right!_ I scoff to myself, letting a small chuckle escape into the empty bathroom. I shake off the dark feeling.

Letting the memory of Isabella's angelic laugh echo through my ears, chasing away the last of my sour mood, I make sure to give my dick some extra attention. Felix and Marcus, two of my bunk mates at camp, had warned me never to interact with the opposite sex without masturbating first. They explained that it was like entering a bank with a loaded gun; even if you had no intention of using it, all fuck would break loose if anyone saw it. Even though I didn't trust the two if them, their advice made sense all the same.

I get back to the task at hand before thoughts of my friends can mar my fantasy. I come quickly imagining taking Isabella from behind on a stack of hundred dollar bills in a bank vault.

I exit the shower and towel off hastily, ready to start the day. I make it back to my room without running into Alice, thankfully. A fleeting peek at my clock informs me I have less than ten minutes to get dress, eat breakfast and get into the car before I will officially be running late. Thank fuck I already have my "Alice Approved" outfit for the day. Who knows how long I would have agonized over what to wear.

I grab the dark wash fitted jeans and snug band t-shirt out of the amazing new wardrobe my sister provided for me. She really is quite an incredible sister; I'll have to get her something special. Tugging up my boxers and grabbing a pair of socks, I quickly dress.

Four minutes later I towel dry my hair a bit more before scooping up my back pack and racing down the stairs towards the kitchen. Alice isn't anywhere to be found, but I guess she's already on her way to school. She's definitely been here though because there's a filled travel coffee mug and a piece of buttered toast on the island next to a note.

_Don't fret, brother dearest, I showered last night._

_I figured you'd need a little help this morning._

_Take a deep breath and be confident. _

_But most of all just be yourself, and this will all work out._

_Love, _

_The most AMAZING sister in the world,_

_Alice ;)_

Yeah, I really need to get her something nice. My wallet, cell phone, and keys are stacked next to the note as well. Devouring the toast in three bites, I stuff my belongings into my pockets and stride to the front door with lifted spirits. I slip into my black low top Converse and take a deep breath, as Alice suggested. My lungs fill with the cool autumn air once I open the front door and prepare myself to enter the gates of Hell.

_I can do this!_

_I hope...  
_

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_**DISCLAIMER: STEPH M. OWNS TWILIGHT. NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED**  
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	2. Chapter 2

The ride to school is uneventful. As is the student welcoming/behavioral meeting, homeroom assignments, and the introduction of the senior class officials. As the day has progressed, I've become more and more anxious. It's almost lunch time and I have yet to see Isabella. She isn't in any of my morning classes despite Forks High School being so small. My mood is exponentially more morose as the bell for lunch tolls and I realize I only have two classes after eating until school is out.

Exiting my Advanced Physics class, my stomach rumbles loudly as the smell from the cafeteria wafts through the halls. Luckily, the science department is just around the corner from my locker in the senior hall; the senior hall which is conveniently located in front of the entrance to the cafeteria. I take it as a small victory for the school year. At least I know I'll always be one of the first in line so the food will be fresh. Or, _fresher_, I should say.

I take out the journal I'll need for my creative writing class after lunch and shove my physics book into my locker. Apparently the laws of physics aren't in my favor today because the book slips back out of its place and crashes, spine down, onto my foot. The same foot I had hit on the door earlier this morning. This time the sound of my curse resonates down the hall.

"Mother. Fucker!" I can feel my nostrils flaring as I tip my face towards the ceiling and clamp my teeth into my bottom lip to keep myself under control. My legs are doing this weird pogo dance as I try not to put any extra pressure on my right foot. The top of my foot is throbbing slightly, constricted by the tight laces of my shoes.

I try to take deep, even breaths as the pain starts to ebb, closing my eyes tightly in an extra attempt to will the pain away. My legs finally stop the awkward springy-dancey-thingy they were doing earlier and I uncurl my fists that I hadn't realized I'd clenched. I forcefully retrieve my book from the ground and cram it into my locker as hard as possible. I want it to know how much I fucking hate it right now. The locker door gets slammed shut as well because I'm sure it's in cahoots with the traitor book.

_And to think, I was going to enjoy that class. Not anymore, fucker!_

I rest my forehead against the cool metal of the door to help calm me further. I know that I'm not really pissed off about the book. Sure, it sucks, but I'm used to random shit happening to me. If I'm being at all honest with myself, I'm just frustrated that I haven't seen Isabella yet and I fear that I won't get the chance.

The thought of not being able to see her quickly quells my appetite and I turn to head to the library instead of joining the masses in the lunch room. No one needs an audience while spiraling into a sea of misery.

Yes, I'm a dramatic pussy.

There's a slight limp in my step from the pain in my foot, but I can't give it much attention since I'm stopped no more than five feet into my journey by bad perms and the smell of cotton candy. Lauren Mallory and Jessica Stanley are shoulder to shoulder, blocking my path. I start to panic a bit as I try to think up a reason for why the school sluts have stopped me. They're part of the popular crowd and I've been the butt of every prank their many male suitors have put forth.

I fight to not bow my head down while I search their faces for clues. Shock overtakes me as I realize they are both giving me the once over while Lauren's eyebrows waggle and Jessica's eyelashes flutter. Composure comes quickly because I _have_ to be imagining that the "Twin Bombshells" are interested in _me!_ There is no fucking way in hell.

The girls exchange a look before turning back to me. As usual, Lauren is the first to speak.

"What's up, Cullen?" she all but purrs as Jessica tilts her chin in silent greeting. Now, I'm no Casanova, but I'm pretty sure she isn't asking me about my day.

I discreetly chance a peek at my dick. Satisfied that I'm not sporting anything more than a semi, I shove my hands down into my front pockets. These pants are tight as hell and I can't have the girls seeing if anything – ahem – _happens_.

Words fail me after thinking about hard-ons in mixed company. I shrug and try to look bored, but on the inside I'm panicking and planning an escape route. I have no fucking clue what they want! Jessica chimes in as if she knows my plans.

"We just came to see what you've been up to all summer." A piece of gum materializes out of thin air and is suddenly in her hand. She licks the stick suggestively before shoving it into her mouth.

_Holy fuck!_ I swallow thickly at her implications and I watch fascinated as their eyes zero in on my bobbing Adam's apple.

By some miracle my voice is smooth and clear as I find an answer. "Just hanging around at camp," comes out and I can't believe how cool I sound. A mental fist pump is warranted after I even shrug to properly execute nonchalance.

The girls hum in unison while nodding vehemently. They exchange another quick look before Lauren speaks up again. "And here I thought it was only milk."

"Milk?" I ask confused, looking at Lauren.

Jessica is the one to answer, though. "That did your body good." They both smile wickedly as Jessica pops her gum, giggling.

"Oh, well, thanks." I really have no clue as to what to say to that. These girls are seriously hitting on me; _me_, Edward Anthony Cullen, the mega nerd. My thoughts are confirmed as they sashay to either side of me.

"You weren't thinking of skipping lunch were you?" Lauren coos as she begins to stroke my bicep.

Jessica quickly begins mimicking her friend before I can answer. "Yeah, we wouldn't want you missing any meals," her voice just as slick.

"Uh…" I'm not sure what to say and the girls are squeezing my muscles while they wait for a reply. I shove my hands deeper into my pockets, which only flexes my arms and spurs the girls on.

Lauren starts to finger a stray lock of my hair that has draped across my forehead. Her tits are pressed close to my arm and I can even feel her nipples through her shirt. I think that was her mission. Jessica follows suit and before I know it they are both 'ooh'-ing and 'aw'-ing at how soft my hair feels. One of their heels taps the back of my hurt foot and I automatically take a step forward. This has to be their plan because all of a sudden I'm standing in the cafeteria with the "Twin Bombshells" pressing their tits on my arms and resting their heads on my shoulders.

Hearing crickets in silences is fucking cliché.

But this is Forks, Washington, and there are tons of crickets here so yes, you could hear them in the silence of the room. The school might have to hire a masseuse too – because of all the kids who'll complain about sore necks after pivoting around in their seats too fast.

_Whiplash much? Is it really that big of a deal…_

_Yes, yes it is._

I swallow and fight my instincts as hard as possible not to drop my head. Instead, I look for Alice. When I spot her in the lunch line she just smirks and quirks an eyebrow. My chin tips up in silent greeting and since I'm nervous, only half of my smile comes across and Alice grins in encouragement.

Both girls giggle and usher me over to the popular table. Suddenly, I'm sitting surrounded by the rest of the "Whore Herd" and their many male followers. I look at the guys at the end of the table and give them a chin tilt. I know I'm probably overdoing it a bit, but Felix and Marcus did it all the time at camp and people always did it back. I'm not disappointed as Crowley, Newton, and Conner Marks all bob their heads in approval. The only one who is giving me the crazy eye is Jacob Black.

"What the fuck's up, Cullen?" Jacob asks me. At least, that's what I think he says. It's hard to hear since Katie Marshall, Debra-Lee Stevens, and Samantha Allgood – the remaining members of the Whore Herd – have added to Jessica's and Lauren's squeals of delight over the softness of my hair.

I raise my voice just a bit to answer, "Nothing much here, man, how about you?"

The girls give off a collective sigh and I swear there are at least two pairs of hands on my thighs. My heart rate increases and I'm starting to get a little overwhelmed with all of this attention. Jacob looks like he understands and calls some of the girls over to him by stretching and flexing his arms. Instantly I'm left with just the Twin Bombshells and Debra-Lee.

"I didn't see you around much this summer," Jacob continues. I just nod and cut my eyes away. Sure, I told the girls about going to camp, but telling Jacob is a whole other thing. He'd use it to make fun of me and I'd be kicked away from the table, in front of everyone. I'd never be able to come back from that. We'd probably have to move away or something.

Out of nowhere, Alice appears to save the day, plopping down with her lunch tray at a seat across from Jacob and answering for me. "Our parents decided Alaska would be the happening spot this year," she comments with an eye roll and a scoff, picking through her salad with her fork. "If I wasn't getting frostbite on my fingers and toes, then I was getting sunburned from the reflection of the sun off of the ice. I mean, sure, it was beautiful and all, but come _on_! Alaska – in the _summer_ – pah-lease!" She finishes with another eye roll and dramatically bites the end of a carrot stick from her tray as she sighs.

The girls all start asking her about what else happened while she was there – what clothes she wore or cute boys she met – while sharing their own tales of vacation mishaps. It diverts everyone's attention away from me and even Jacob seems mollified, though I see him eyeing my folded tanned arms more than once. Either way he doesn't get a chance to comment on it as Newton lures him into conversation with the rest of the guys at the table.

Lauren, Jessica, and Debra-Lee may be right next to me, but they're paying me no attention at all so I take a deep breath for the first time since I've walked in to school. It's been such a crazy day already and I haven't even gotten to see Isabella one time. Thinking about her causes my eyes to draw up and scan the cafeteria once more. Most everyone in the rest of the room decides that I'm not so interesting anymore since I didn't get beaten up or humiliated and has returned to their own lunches and conversations with friends around them.

I may be pretty tall – one of the tallest in the school – but sitting doesn't give me a great vantage point to properly scour the room, and I'll look too obvious if I crane my neck much more than I'm doing now.

I take a few seconds to let disappointment wash over me as I look down at my lap. The girls have removed their hands from me and everyone at the table seems to be laughing and joking like old friends.

Even though Alice doesn't usually hang out with this crowd, she's easily accepted for her beauty and overall charisma. Everyone in the whole school knows who she is and likes her for her easy smile and silly antics. She never really played a team sport or anything, but the jocks respect her because she's always drawing support from the students and raising money for trips, or whatnot. She's a little weird – which the freaks love – and crazy smart which makes her popular with the geeks and nerds alike. She's always dressed impeccably and spewing off some sage advice she's read in some magazine so the female population chooses to adore instead of loathe her.

All around, I'm lucky to have Alice as a sister, especially as a twin. But having her sitting here with me only further reminds me how much I don't fit in. It makes me feel like I don't belong here and I begin to wonder why I'm even sitting here in the first place. I did all of this – working out, acting cool, dressing nicely – to get Bella's attention and she isn't even here to notice.

"Where's Bella disappeared to, anyway?" Alice's comment startles me out of my mirrored thoughts. It makes me start to understand why people think twins are freaky. How'd she know I was thinking about Isabella, anyway?

_Maybe because I always think about Isabella…_

I shrug to myself, _maybe_.

"I think I saw her going to the front office," Katie supplies helpfully, using her hand to scrunch the back of her recently bobbed-cut, blond hair.

Jacob slings an arm over Katie's shoulders, settling her discomfort of her new hairdo in the process of replying. "Yeah, she was in my Math class earlier. Her schedule wasn't right. Something about her AP Lit class conflicting with her nurses' aid gig." He shrugs his indifference.

"Our school has AP Literature?" Tyler wonders aloud around a mouth full of pizza. His eyebrows are mashed together viciously, making him appear completely stupefied.

"Yeah, moron," Conner laughs as he punches Tyler in the shoulder and snatches a cookie from his friend's lunch tray. "Just because you're an idiot don't mean anybody else ain't smart!"

Alice and I both wince at Conner's cringe worthy grammar. Everyone at the table laughs as Tyler smacks Conner in the back of his head, dislodging his cookie from Conner's hand and popping it into his mouth in one bite.

I silently pray for the future of America.

"Didn't you get anything to eat?" Alice asks me lowly from two seats down. The conversation at the table has picked up again, topics ranging from cars to teachers to weekend plans.

"I'm not really that hungry," I reply with a shrug. I lost my appetite what seems like hours ago. Looking at the clock on the cafeteria wall I notice lunch will be over any second.

"At least take this, just in case," Alice gets out right as the bell rings. Rising from her seat and weaving around the other departing students, she hands me a bottle of lemonade and a snack sized bag of animal crackers. I take them to humor her, but I don't really see my appetite coming back any time soon. There's a hollow weight in the pit of my stomach as I think about not seeing Isabella all year. Just thinking that I endured camp for nothing makes my gut ebb and pulse uneasily.

"Don't worry so much; just be you," Alice encourages with a pat of her hand to my cheek.

"That's easy for you to say since everybody likes you," I grump as I turn around to make my way to class.

"Not everyone," Alice says softly. I turn around to catch the look on her face – my inner twin senses sparking – but she's already heading in the opposite direction.

"I've got to go. See you at home," she calls over her shoulder with a wave before her body vanishes into the mass of scattering students.

The two minute warning bell sounds before I realize I'm just standing around in the empty room, watching the spot where my sister disappeared. Deciding I'll figure out what she meant later, I hustle to my creative writing class near the English hallway. It's a bit of a trip – out of the opposite cafeteria doors I entered in plus upstairs and two halls down, near the foreign language rooms – so I can already tell I'll be late.

_And on the first day of school, no less_, I think wryly to myself. _Fuck, could this day get any worse?_

I huff up the stairs, taking them two at a time, and skid to a stop at the top of the landing. Spotting a German flag, I bolt down the left hallway, doors closing on either side of me as teachers prepare to start their lesson plans. Another quick left turn puts me in the English hall and I can see my open classroom door from where I stop in the middle of the deserted area. I take a second to collect my breath. It wouldn't do me any good to walk into the room panting as I am. No one should be in a hurry to get to class; it's like a high school law. The bell tolls signaling that I'm officially late to class, but I still take a second to adjust the journal and snack in my hands.

After righting my clothing I attempt to enter the classroom as smoothly as possible only to be slammed in the back and pushed forward. I quickly catch my balance on a nearby desk, only my journal a casualty to the collision as it slaps the floor with a loud smacking pop, drawing the attention of everyone around me. The class titters at my train wreck, but is ardently shushed by a female teacher immediately.

"And I'm guessing you're Edward Cullen?" the teacher asks succinctly as I bend down to retrieve my journal.

"Yes, ma'am, Mrs. Sulpicia," I reply as respectfully as possible, rising up to make eye contact. I'd heard rumors about this teacher – she keeps her students in two categories, you're either a favorite or an idiot. The narrowing of her eyes suggests I'll be starting the school year off as one of the latter. I try not to show fear.

"And, Isabella, so glad everything was cleared up and you could join us," Mrs. Sulpicia continues as she looks passed my shoulder and my body stiffens. I look too, having to step to the side to see Isabella completely since she's so short. I don't even know how the teacher saw her behind me, but I don't care; I'm stunned mute as I see her for the first time in months. My mind vaguely registers that this is who must've bumped into me and it's like David fighting Goliath as I try to wrestle my impending hard-on from making itself known in my slim jeans. I'd like to think my cock isn't David in that scenario.

Mrs. Sulpicia clearing her throat with a Bitch Brow directed my way clues me in that I've missed something while my mind's wandered. Isabella slips around me and takes a seat at one of the two parallel, empty desks. Following her lead, I snag the other, placing my journal on top in front of me and stashing my snack in the wire basket below my seat.

The teacher regains the class' focus and continues writing the syllabus on the chalkboard. I try my damnedest not to look at Isabella while I copy down that our current seats will be permanent for the remainder of the school year. My fingers violently white-knuckle grip my pencil as Mrs. Sulpicia writes out assignment pairings for all projects in the order in which we arrived in class today.

I, Edward Anthony Cullen, will be Isabella Swan's creative writing partner for the entire school year. We will be permanently sat next to one another for an entire nine months. She will probably have to come to my house to work on assignments. Maybe stay for dinner, or to hang out on the weekends because we'll become so close. _So fucking close_.

My dick throbs just thinking about it!

Suddenly, a small triangularly folded piece of paper lands on my desk. I make sure the teacher's back is still turned as I scoop it up and discreetly scan the room. I don't have to look far because Isabella watches me expectantly, motioning me to read the note. I peek at the teacher's back once more and open the paper as silently as possible.

One word is written – just one word – but it's enough to make my heart stop and my stomach drop to my shoes. My mouth creases open and the back of my eyes tingle sharply under my crumpled brow. I look to Isabella for an explanation, but she's already raising her hand to get Mrs. Sulpicia's attention.

"Yes, Isabella?" she asks exasperated.

"I need to go back to the scheduling office," Isabella states confidently.

The teacher lets her go, oblivious to my shattering heart. I look down to my fisted hand, the note crumbled in its grasp as Isabella collects her belongings and rushes from the room. As Mrs. Sulpicia closes the door with a soft click and returns to the chalkboard, my eyes scan Isabella's one word – five letters – over and over again.

_Sorry_.

And just like that I realize that yes, this day just got infinitely worse.

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**DISCLAIMER: STEPH M. OWNS ALL THINGS TWILIGHT. NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED.**


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